1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an authentication system, an authentication method, and an entrance/exit management system in which authentication is performed using, for example, a plurality of IC cards.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, to realize sophisticated security, it has been proposed that authentication be performed using a plurality of IC cards (e.g., contact-less IC cards) in an authentication system, an authentication method, or an entrance/exit management system. For example, as an entrance/exit management system in which the entrance/exit is permitted on conditions that the authentications of the plurality of IC cards are successful, there is a system in which person's entrance/exit is managed by performing processing to authenticate the plurality of IC cards. For example, in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-150553, an authentication system is proposed in which a plurality of IC cards and a terminal device perform authentication processing to thereby make possible the sophisticated security in a computer network.
However, in the technology described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-150553, the terminal device has to communicate with each of the plurality of IC cards for each authentication processing. In the technology described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-150553, the terminal device has to manage various information for performing the authentication processing on all the IC cards.